Ca. 700- 1100 AD. Viking Era. A thick cast Viking era bronze 'Omega' penannular brooch with recurved diamond shaped terminals,  ribbed decoration, a semi-circular section, and a pin fixture and applied catch. Pin is intact. Brooches were an important part of Viking culture and were worn by both men and women. These items were multifunction with their most basic purpose being clothing fasteners while their more ostentatious role was to serve as a display of wealth. Brooches such as this one were status symbols, tradable goods in lieu of currency, and are often found as grave goods to provision the dead for the afterlife. For more general information on Viking jewellery see Arbman, H. Birka I: Die Gräber, Uppsala, 1940. Superb condition.Wearable. Size: H:65mm / W:62mm ; 62.5g. Provenance: From an old British collection, acquired on the UK art market in the 1990s.